Philosophy of classroom management
Define classroom management as learned in this class. Explain a well-managed classroom. Explain the importance
of a classroom management plan, and that of a classroom manager. What do effective class managers do? Discuss
how this plan might support you as a future teacher and outline what you will discuss in this plan (CMP)
Solution
Introduction
Classroom plays an integral role in teaching and learning process, however, it is
imperative to understand that there is the need for management to ensure the practices involved
in the learning process are effective. Classroom management is the integration of different
practices, strategies, techniques and skills by teachers to enable students to become organized,
attentive, orderly and focused task hence increasing academic productivity (“Introduction to
classroom”, n.d). Furthermore, it is important to acknowledge that teachers use different
classroom management skills and they mostly adopt the ones that work best for them. Moreover,
classroom management requires the incorporation of different philosophies from theorists, for
example, B.F. Skinner, Alfie Kohn, Weber, Harry Wong and Lee Canter among others. The
involvement of these theories results in a well-managed classroom hence the teacher’s capability
of ensuring effective teaching and learning.
A teacher knows that the class is well managed when the students are motivated to learn,
they are cooperative, positive feedback and no noise especially during the instructional section.
The teacher takes the position of a classroom manager and he needs to develop a plan to enable
him to execute some of the action that will bring effective teaching and learning. The classroom
management plan acts as a guide pointing the teacher in the right direction in terms of motivating
learners, offering instructions and asking for feedback. This paper is a classroom management
plan and it encompasses personal philosophies on how to manage a classroom, it provides
information on how a classroom physical environment should look. In addition, it expounds on
the emotional environment during learning and setting up a classroom. Moreover, the paper
gives a plan on how to manage behavior by incorporating three strategies prevention,
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intervention and positive reinforcement. It further looks at the aspect of partnership and how a
teacher can collaborate with the parents to fulfill teaching and learning in a classroom and finally
provides a conclusion.
Personal philosophy of classroom management
As aforementioned, classroom management involves the incorporation of theories to
ensure that the teacher is able to provide effective teaching and learning process. There are
different theorists who have elaborates on classroom management by expounding on skills,
techniques and strategies. As a teacher, I choose to follow the theories of B.F Skinner and Alfie
Kohn in my classroom management plan. I believe developing a positive relationship with
students, reinforcing behavior and modification of classroom environment to ensure that the
students are comfortable. In addition, I believe in Kohn’s theory that the students should work in
groups to fulfill their curiosity; some of the lessons should have practical or fieldwork and
developing an intrinsic motivation where students are motivated to learn by love, not their fears.
I believe learning has a psychological aspect in it hence the need to involve Skinner’s theory in
developing a classroom management plan. My personal philosophy incorporates most of the
Skinners theory where I must develop a positive environment for learning, for example, proper
arrangement of the classroom, minimizing notes and understanding the needs of every student.
Students have different needs and it is important for me as a teacher to create a positive
environment that involves all the students, for example, those with short eyesight can have the
first row (Wiseman & Hunt, 2008).
In addition, I think positive reinforcement of behavior through rewards and words of
encouragement provides a comfortable environment for all the students to learn. I have
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experienced positive results in the past by incorporating positive reinforcement during learning.
Encouraging students by congratulating them increase their self-esteem and confidence in class
hence increasing the probability of them participating more in class and completing the assigned
tasks (“Introduction to classroom”, n.d). Students are curious hence the need for a teacher to
fulfill this curiosity by answering questions and providing relevant information on topics
discussed in class. However, the teacher at times needs to allow the students to find the
information by themselves through the involvement of group work (Khon, 2011). Allowing
students to learn new things by themselves develops an intrinsic motivation which encourages
them to learn out of love for the subjects instead of fear of failure. Furthermore, the provision of
homework and standardized tests is one of the ways that teachers can have positive feedback.
Feedback is an issue of centrality in teaching and learning hence its inclusion in my classroom
management plan.
In the past, I experienced hard times trying to get feedback from students without
involving tests and answering of questions. However, the involvement of questions, homework
and standardized tests increases the probability of getting feedback. I plan to ask questions at the
end of the lessons to find out if the students grasped different concepts during the lesson. In
addition, I realized that giving students a bulk of homework does not guarantee positive
feedback. Minimizing homework to a range of 2 to 5 questions increases the chances of getting a
true feedback since it discourages students from copying from each other and encourages them to
tackle task by themselves. According to (Zhou & Brown), the use of test provides a quantitative
feedback where a teacher is able to know areas that require adjustments.
Classroom physical environment
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As mentioned earlier, the classroom provides an environment where most of teaching and
learning takes place hence the need to provide a positive layout that will encourage learners. The
classroom physical environment involves most of the tangible materials in the classroom, for
example, the desks, chairs, blackboard, 3D and 2D materials and lighting among others. It is
important to understand that the physical environment is important since it has a ripple effect on
other aspects of learning, for example, emotional and psychological. The physical environment is
the layout, appearance and design of a classroom and its learning centers. Most teachers work to
ensure that the physical environment of a class can support the learning and teaching processes.
It is also important to acknowledge the classroom management plan involves the physical
environment of a classroom. The physical environment involves different components, for
example, the furniture and blackboard, teaching and learning materials. The furniture
arrangement should ensure that no students give the teacher their back and at the same time they
have space for movement. According to Wisemen &Hunt (2008), the spacing is important in
learning as it reduces tension in class caused by fights and the stress caused by the feeling of
space being invaded. As mentioned earlier, one of my philosophies is incorporating groupware
during class; therefore, The U-shaped table arrangement will facilitate my strategy.
Furthermore, better spacing reduces overcrowding hence promoting effective teaching
and learning that increases productivity. The advancement in technology has influenced
education positively; therefore, the inclusion of an LCD screen in my class for the purpose of
learning creates a positive learning environment. The Screen will act as an LCE center where the
students can watch some of the educational programs or interacts with an expert through
teleconferencing. The incorporation of bookshelves provides spacing so that the students can
move easily during hands-on activities in the class. Setting one of the shelves as a storage to
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some of the 3D materials and one corner as the 2D center increases learning through
reinforcement insisted by Skinner’s theory. Some of the 2D materials which involve drawings
and words are a source of reinforcement in class hence increasing the effectiveness of teaching
and learning. The incorporation of student-centered activities which involve group work is
fundamental in classroom management (Kohn, 2011). I understand that arranging the furniture in
form of U-shape and involving about six students increases the effectiveness of my class
management plan.
Emotional environment
Learning involves different aspects in a student’s life that the teacher must consider when
making the classroom management plan. Learning involves the physical, psychological and
emotional environment. Altering of one of the environment does not augur well with teaching
and learning, for example, students coming from abusive homes experience challenges in
learning. This results from emotional imbalances created by fights or abuse at home. Learning
incorporates some of the psychology since it involves the cognitive, emotions, feelings and
behavior. These above-mentioned components cover the emotional environment of learning
hence the need for the teacher to understand or try and decipher the emotional state of their
students. However, having the knowledge of the emotional state of a student requires the
investment of times. The teacher has a responsibility of building a positive relationship with his
students in order to earn their trust. Nevertheless, it is important to mention that from my
experience some of the students will not open up immediately hence the need for a teacher to
remain patient.
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Earning a student trust requires time and discipline where a teacher is able to keep some
of the secrets that the student decides to share. In addition; the teacher has to develop a positive
mechanism that will ensure that he solves some of the problems that a student presents to him.
“Introduction to classroom”, n.d stipulates that the positive learning environment is promoted by
a teacher always being in charge of the relationship created between them and their students. The
educator has to create boundaries so that respect remains significant in the teacher-student
relationship. Therefore, the teacher is not supposed to compromise the ethical stipulation in
educations to ensure that relationship is productive. Motivating the students through the word of
encouragement and making learning fun reduces the social pressures experienced by students,
for example, the pressure from parents to achieve more academically (Laedbetter, 2013). A
positive environment is created when a teacher cancels any form of negative comments in class,
uses students to explain sensitive issues or discourages students. Motivating students using
motivational quotes from some of the great leaders increases the chances of creating a positive
environment. One of my belief is that there is the need to let students work in groups in order to
learn how to live and work in a diversified society. Furthermore, it creates a new network and
relationship among students from different cultures, background and races. Creating a positive
learning environment enables students to concentrate more in class, develop self-esteem and
confidence to handle most of the classroom activities.
Some of the students who experience negative emotional issues tend to keep quiet,
become rebellious or bully others. This requires the teacher’s intervention by canceling the
resemblance of the home environment and classroom. This is made possible by the teacher
motivating the students, reducing the pressure on a learner by comparing him to others. Positive
reinforcement of behavior as proposed by B.F. Skinner can help reduce the rebellious behavior
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shown by students experiencing emotional difficulties. I plan to encourage such students using
motivational talks and quotes; in addition, I will have to give a positive comment whenever they
behave well. On the other hand, Alfie Kohn’s theory insists on creating a positive environment
where students care and respect each other idea. This is possible by allowing students to
participate in group work and present in class as a group this builds communal learning and
makes a rebellious student feel like part of the class.
Setting up a classroom
The classroom provides a positive environment where most of the learning takes place
(Kabot Reeve & Heflin, 2010). The teacher has a responsibility of setting up a classroom that
creates a positive learning environment to facilitate teaching and learning that is productive.
Firstly, I will ensure the arrangement of furniture to suit my theoretical stipulations, for example,
I need students to participate in group work twice a week. This requires the students to have the
knowledge of classroom arrangement for group work from the first day. Therefore, I will arrange
the classroom furniture in a U-shape layout to ensure that the students are able to collaborate
easily. In addition, this layout gives me the opportunity to observe the students work keenly and
offer guidance if the need arises. Furthermore, my teacher’s desk will take the central position
since I will use it as an instructional center. I have a responsibility to stick the time table in front
of the classroom; this will provide the students with knowledge about the schedule. I will involve
the students in making the classroom rules in order to reduce the probability of having rebellious
students. This activity tends to develop a positive relationship from the first day since it
encourages student’s involvement in class. The involvement of technology in the 21 st century
class set-up is a must hence the need to confirm with the school resource center that the internet
and the classroom screen is working.
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The setting of rules gives me an opportunity to explain to the students some of the
routines, schedule and procedures that they should adhere to while in class. Moreover, I will
have to mark the shelves and corners that will contain some of the banners, 2D and 3D materials.
Providing this information makes it easy for the students to access some of the materials that we
will use during the semester. The 2D materials involve drawings and name of objects and
animals in the planet which reinforces some of the words or knowledge acquired during class. At
times reinforcement is facilitated through repetition. Therefore, the 2D section which occupies
one of the back corners in the classroom enables repetition since they are the first posters, words
and drawings that students see when they enter the classroom and head for their chairs. The
arrangement of the classroom that has spacing increases the ability of students to participate in
classroom activities (“Introduction to classroom”, n.d).
Behavior management (Prevention)
Classroom management requires that the prevention of certain behaviors that can disrupt
learning, for example, noise making in class, bullying and making fun of other students. The
intention of preventing these behaviors is to create a positive learning environment in which
every student feels safe and comfortable. These rules provide a framework for the teacher to
follow in order to prevent some of the behaviors that disrupt teaching and learning from
occurring, for example, noise and bullying. The students have to understand that the set rules and
routines have consequences in case they are not followed hence preventing them from
participating in some of the behaviors. Most students are familiar with rules since they have
consequences, especially negative, for example, expulsion or parental involvement. Firstly, I
need to involve the students when making some of the rules in order to reduce the probability of
rebellion. According to Kohn (2011), the involvement of students in formulating some of the
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routines and rules ensure that everybody in class agrees to the set of rules and they are ready to
face the consequences in case they misbehave. The involvement of all the students encourages
the students to embrace diversity where each of them believes they are equal.
Alfie Kohn’s theory supports the involvement of students in classroom activities and the
formulation of rules is one of the activities that I have used over the years to encourage student
involvement (Kohn, 2011). In addition, it makes the student own the rules hence preventing the
chances of misbehavior that may occur due to rebellion. The setting of rules that involves all the
students encourages the students to embraces the cultural, ethical and social differenced,
therefore, eliminating the thought of superiority that may result in bullying. Teaching or
explaining the routines and schedule on the first day gives the teacher an upper hand since it
increases the probability of the students adhering to the rules (Manni& Bucher, 2014).
Explaining the rules is another strategy that the teacher can use to put emphasis, for example,
take care of the environment by avoiding to litter the class. Reducing ambiguity makes it easier
for the students to reduce some of the negative behavior. Some of the tools make it possible to
negative behavior, for example, the clock, positive notes and posters with rules. I will use
positive notes or stickers on some of the students who show change, for example, “best student
of the week” this sticker can trigger change among students who display negative behavior.
I have mentioned some of the methods and rules I'll follow in the classroom, which will
help me provide an appropriate classroom. In Appendix A, there are some important rules that
students should follow. Also, in Annex B, there are some morning practices that students should
do and will be discussed with students from the first day of school. In this course, I planned for
10 classroom management tools to perform such as body break, large board attendees, morning
meeting questions, visual prompts, special chairs, classroom help plate, calendar for important
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events, bin per table, schedule class, and poster large rules. Some of these tools are for classroom
arrangement, others are displayed on walls, and some are for conduct of participation (see
Appendix D).
Behavior management (Intervention)
As aforementioned, learning involves different aspects; moreover, it is associated with
psychology due to the involvement of feelings, behavior, cognition and emotions. Behavioral
management is important in designing a class management plan. The teacher has to understand
different aspects involved in a student behavior (“Introduction to classroom”, n.d). These aspects
enable a teacher to formulate positive environment that encourages the student to behave in
better ways which facilitate teaching and learning. The first aspect requires the teacher to have
the knowledge of intervention where he is able to prevent a behavior before it becomes the norm.
The intervention involves different strategies that teachers can incorporate to prevent some of the
behaviors that can distract learners and destroy a positive environment meant for learning.
Firstly, the teacher designs the intervention strategies, for example, monitoring, management,
response, follow-ups and feedback. Monitoring is facilitated by creating of rules, routines and
schedules that student must adhere to.
I found that involving students in making rules made it easier to monitor them since they
keep warning each other in case one of the students breaks a rule. Kohn emphasizes on student
participation in class and giving them an opportunity to make rules gives the teacher an upper
hand in managing the class. The teachers’ response also matters, for example, when a new
behavior begins to develop in class the teacher should identify it immediately and warn against
it. The faster the response the higher the probability of eliminating the behavior from the
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classroom, therefore, this strategy gives the teacher an upper hand in containing a spreading
problem. Doing check-ins or follow-ups on students who are rebellious makes it easy to reduce
their impact on the students in school. The feedback in the monitoring of behavioral issues
requires the observation. A teacher needs to observe the progress of a student after warning or
punishing them for a particular type of behavior. Observation can enable a teacher to know if the
students have made adjustments behaviorally or there is the need for further action. Skinner
insists on immediacy when correcting or warning against a behavior, therefore, the ability of a
teacher to warn against a particular behavior in time can reduce its chances of spreading (Vergas,
2013).
Behavior management (positive reinforcement)
Positive reinforcement is one of the ways that can encourage the reduction of negative
behavior hence promoting a positive learning environment. Learning can also take the
psychological trajectory; therefore, the application of theories by B.F. Skinner is part of my
Class management plan. Reinforcement is a better strategy used to reduce some of the negative
behaviors in school. The involvement of positive reinforcement is much better as it reduces the
probability of students rebelling or become fearful of the school activities. Learning requires the
creation of a positive environment and this is made possible by incorporating positive
reinforcement in correcting behavior. Firstly, it is important to understand positive reinforcement
and some of its strategies. The positive reinforcement encourages the repetition of the desired
behavior; in addition, it cancels fear among students. The use of praises and motivation
encourages students to maintain positive behavior in class and school environment. Reinforces in
class may include prizes, money, praises and attention, the student try to adhere to some of the
set behaviors set by the teacher. Lack of appreciation when the students behave well or adhere to
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the set rules can encourage may result in rebellion. Therefore, consistency in reinforcing the
behaviors through praises makes it easy for students to maintain positive behavior that encourage
learning.
Recognizing slightest changes of a student behavior, for example, praising a quiet student
who participated in class for the first time reinforces the behavior. The use of budges or stickers
with positive words about a student mentioning their improvement is a better behavioral
reinforcement compared to negative reinforcement. The goal of positive reinforcement is to
create a positive environment that encourages the student’s participation in class. Positive
reinforcement makes it possible to have students behave well out of love, for example, the love
for order and discipline. In addition, the use of praises encourages the students to repeat positive
behavior, for example, keeping quiet in class when the teacher is issuing instructions. The use of
prizes also captures the students’ attention where they will try to behave well in order to win or
get the reward.
Working with parents and partnerships
Education involves stakeholders, who are also considered as partners, the parents are part
of the stakeholders and there is the need to partner to support a child. The involvement of parents
in the development of a child is important since they also spend time with the students (Hill &
Tyson, 2009). The teacher has to develop or formulate a better plan that will ensure the
partnership with the parents encourages the students to participate more in class and develop
positive behavior(“Introduction to classroom”, n.d). The first step that I have to incorporate in
my classroom management plan is developing a positive relationship with the parents. The
positive relationship between a teacher and a parent creates a platform that makes them discuss
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the progress of a student in the class. According to Hill & Tyson (2009), the teacher has the
responsibility of giving the parent information on how the student is progressing. This is only
possible by developing a positive relationship with parents in order to build the partnership. The
partnership should endeavor to find a solution hence the need for the teacher to discuss matters
concerning the students not the personal life of a parent. The teacher should also restrain himself
of accusing the parents or the child of bad behavior instead he should collaborate to find a
solution to the problem.
Communication is another key entity that is should implement in my classroom
management plan in order to strengthen the partnership. I should endeavor to contact the parents
about their children progress whether positive or negative. Contacting the parents when their
children participate in class is a form of positive reinforcement emphasized by Skinner. The
strategy works both ways; the parents feel encouraged and build an environment at home that
will support their children. Currently, the advancement in technology has made it easier to
communicate with the parents, a phone call or a chat in Whatsup will enable me to contact the
parents. In order to involve the parents in future, I have to narrow down on parental meeting and
include school fun days where the parents can come and attend some of the activities presented
by their children for fun, for example, drama and singing. This will encourage more parents to
show up and discuss their children progress in school hence formulate better ways to handle the
students. Alfie Kohn insists that there is the need for the teacher to remove the common fear
about learning in school; some of the students fear their parents’ presence in school (Kohn,
2011). Organizing fun day will eliminate this fear as the students become more involved in
groups and receive admiration from their parents hence reinforcing some of the positive behavior
and creating a positive learning environment.
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Conclusion
Personal philosophy is an important component in designing a class management plan;
the philosophy gives the teacher a vision of what should appear in the plan. Making learning fun,
reinforcing positive behavior and encouraging the involvement of students in class through group
work are part of my philosophy. There is the need to maintain a positive physical environment
which avoids overcrowding and storage of learning materials to encourage reinforcement
through repetition, for example, the 2D section. The emotional environment is a fundamental
entity in teaching and learning, it is the responsibility of the teacher to develop a positive
relationship with the students (“Introduction to classroom”, n.d). This encourages emotional
stability among students hence their ability to concentrate in class. The classroom setup should
encourage the students to participate more often in class activities. The management of behavior
also plays a central role in teaching and learning hence the need for a teacher to learn how to
prevent or intervene and reinforce positive behavior. The partnership between the parents and the
teacher creates a positive environment to support a child since their parents learn to create a
positive home environment that will encourage the child to behave well in school. The plan is
beneficial to the students, parents and the teacher since it requires the effort of the three parties to
make the plan successful. Furthermore, the involvement of the three parties increases the
effectiveness of teaching and learning as it reduces some of the distributors that create a negative
environment, for example, noise and bullying. There is the need to share this plan with the
administration since some of the activities require permission from the principal, for example,
fun day. The involvement of B.F Skinner theories that took a psychological trajectory was
important in planning, for example, reinforcing of behavior using rewards and praises. On the
other hand, the involvement of Alfie Kohn’s theories that insist on children involvement in the
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classroom made my philosophy to include group work to make the children embrace diversity
and create class rules the will reduce the probability of rebellion.
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References
“Introduction to classroom”. (n,d). Introduction to Classroom Management
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